Zoe Laiyi Clarke

ZOE LAIYI CLARKE is 16 years old and has been playing the violin since she was 4. Laiyi is the current concertmaster of the Canadian Sinfonietta Youth Orchestra (CSYO) and a member of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra. She has been a featured soloist with the York Chamber Ensemble (with whom she is often a member), as well as the CSYO. Laiyi has won numerous awards including first place in the Unionville Music Competition, the Kiwanis Music Festival, the North York Music Festival, and received the “Honourable Mention” medal at the Ontario (OMFA) Provincials in 2024. Most recently, with her string quartet, she placed third at the Ontario Provincials. She has also completed her ARCT (Diploma for Performance) in violin from the Royal Conservatory of Music with First Class Honours. Laiyi studies violin with both her grandfather, Tak Ng Lai and mother Joyce Lai. In the summer of 2025 Laiyi toured as concertmaster and soloist with the CSYO and performed nine concerts in Sicily and Vienna.